Clutch Problems of Volkswagen Jetta - part 1

Volkswagen Jetta owners have reported 117
problems related to clutch (under the power train category).
The most recently reported issues are listed below.
Also please check out the
statistics and reliability analysis of Volkswagen Jetta based on all problems reported for the Jetta.

Clutch problem of the 2010 Volkswagen Jetta
1

Failure Date: 07/01/2011

2010 Volkswagen Jetta. Consumer states knocking noise by gearbox while driving
the consumer was informed the clutching system needed to be replaced. The consumer stated he had to wait two months for the part. The consumer stated three to four days later, after the vehicle was fixed, the noise resurfaced. The part was replaced again and the same noise returned.

Clutch problem of the 2006 Volkswagen Jetta
2

Failure Date: 08/12/2008

At 23,000 miles, without warning, no initial signs of concern, clutch fails, depressed to the floor without the ability to return. My misfortune happened exactly how the other numerous complainants did. Found vw technical bulletin #2016615 dated 11/05/07 described as 'clutch, friction material flaw' (sachs manufactured only) notes only sachs clutch plates are affected by this flaw and therefore only issues with the sachs clutch plate will be covered under this technical bulletin. There are no known friction material flaws with luk clutch plate or pressure plate. '
bulletin extends the warranty on these parts an extra 4 years / 50000 miles. My clutch plate happens to be a luk. . . After reading the scores of complaints about clutches going out at 10-50k miles, I don't know what's true anymore. . . My suspicion is that maybe the problem is really with the luk manufactured clutch plate and that the technical bulletin was issued covering the sachs brand to avoid having to warrant the luk brand. Updated 09/18/08.

Clutch problem of the 2006 Volkswagen Jetta
3

Failure Date: 05/01/2008

Letter from senator on behalf of constituent, regarding his concerns with the 2006 Volkswagen Jetta. The consumer stated the clutch started slipping. The dealer informed the consumer that the 5-speed vehicles were made with a defective clutch plate, but the transmission would have to be removed to determine if the vehicle had the defective part. The dealer stated if the vehicle did not have the defective part, the consumer would be charged $500 in labor fees for removing the transmission.

Clutch problem of the 2006 Volkswagen Jetta
4

Failure Date: 04/19/2008

My 2006 vw Jetta tdi clutch went out while driving on the highway. The clutch was depressed all the way to the floor and would not come back up. I pulled it back up and it would not go back down. Clutch was never spongy beforehand and just went out with no prior indication of a problem. Called the dealership and they said it was not covered under warranty (car has approx 40,000 miles). After doing research and finding out others have same problem I will be complaining to dealership to have it covered. I am a student and my husband is in the army we don't have $2000 to pay for such a repair, that was not caused by "normal wear and tear".

Clutch problem of the 2006 Volkswagen Jetta
5

Failure Date: 04/08/2008

I am the owner of a 2006 Volkswagen Jetta tdi 5-speed with 39,000 miles. My vehicle was manufactured in mexico in January of 2006, and I purchased it in June of 2006. This week, the clutch started slipping and it warranted a visit to the local vw dealership service department. The service department informed me that many 2006 vw Jetta tdi 5-spd vehicles were made with a defective clutch plate, but they would have to remove my transmission to determine whether or not my vehicle had the defective part. They informed me that if my vehicle did not have the defective part, they would charge me nearly $500 in labor fees for removing the transmission for inspection. I should not have to pay to have my vehicle inspected to determine whether it has the defective part, nor should I have to drive my vehicle when this clutch has been failing prematurely. Upon further investigation, I found numerous complaints about this clutch plate on the NHTSA website. . Read more...

Clutch problem of the 2005 Volkswagen Jetta
6

Failure Date: 04/05/2008

Car developed pronounced engine vibration at 100,000 miles. Vibration was accompanied by significant noise at idle with clutch engaged. Clutch and flywheel assembly was removed and inspected. Inspection revealed that the dual mass flywheel had failed and was the source of the noise and vibration. Clutch and flywheel were replaced with an aftermarket single mass flywheel and matching clutch.

Clutch problem of the 2006 Volkswagen Jetta
7

2006 Jetta tdi. Dmf and clutch failure after 54,000 mi of normal driving. Car stuck in gear while driving, unable to stop and go. Not covered under extended warranty. Described as normal wear and tear. Cheap dual mass flywheel and clutch components!.

Clutch problem of the 2003 Volkswagen Jetta
8

Failure Date: 03/04/2008

The clutch on my vw Jetta burned out on a major interstate and was a very dangerous situation. The car had 46,604 miles on it and should have lasted many miles above that but I have learned of 100's who own the same car with this same situation.

Clutch problem of the 2006 Volkswagen Jetta
9

Failure Date: 02/21/2008

I recently purchased a 2006 vw tdi used, with 33k miles. After one day of ownership the clutch pedal went the floor. I pulled the pedal up with my toe, and got it to engage one more time, then back to the floor. After that, the car wouldn't pull itself in any gear. The car never slipped, vibrated, etc. , no symptoms of a wore clutch, just instant failure. I called vw roadside assistance, and vw towed it to a dealer 3hours away. Before the dealer tore into it they called me and said that if it is due to clutch wear/abuse that it would not be covered. After some research here on tdiclub, I found that dmf, and clutch failures were very common and generally warranted. I told the dealer to go ahead and tear into the car to find out more. Today I get a call and they tell me that the clutch is wore out, and that it is not covered. The advisor on the phone said that half the clutch on one side is almost completely gone, and the other side is completely gone. And if I come pick it now, I will only be out $550, or I can have them do the repair for $1800. I told him to not do anything yet, and that I would call him back tomorrow with an answer. The service advisor was very nice, and as helpful as he could be, but could not warranty the clutch or repair.

Clutch problem of the 2005 Volkswagen Jetta
10

Clutch problem of the 2006 Volkswagen Jetta
11

Failure Date: 01/15/2008

Was exiting the highway and depressed the clutch. The clutch went to the floor and I was unable to shift gears. I was able to get the vehicle in neutral and get to the side of the road. I have learned this is a common problem with premature failure of clutches on 2006 Volkswagen Jetta tdis.

Clutch problem of the 2005 Volkswagen Jetta
12

Failure Date: 01/12/2008

Clutch gave out at 32,000 miles. Volkswagen considers this normal wear and tear.

Clutch problem of the 2006 Volkswagen Jetta
13

Failure Date: 12/29/2007

No symptoms prior to failure. While exiting freeway, clutch stopped operating between gears, while downshifting. Could not get car back into gear and had to stop in middle of multi lane offramp, pointing slightly uphill. Clutch pedal would come only half way up. Clutch could not be engaged enough to start engine. Aaa was called and arrived after 20 minutes, during which time car remained in offramp. Car was towed to dealer and left over long new year's weekend. Dealer service department informed me, once they looked at it, that the clutch had failed and that I would have to pay for it as it was out of warranty. I agreed to the service since this is my only vehicle. I was charged $1,863. For the service, which included replacement of the flywheel. I complained that the flywheel was part of the engine, and should be covered under warranty. I was directed to call Volkswagen and submit a complaint. I asked to retain the parts so that I could see what had gone wrong. The next day, before calling Volkswagen, I discovered from an independent source that Volkswagen has had a technical service bulletin out on the clutch since November 2007. After verifying from the parts that I was covered, I informed the dealership. I have been told they are cutting me a check to repay what I spent on the replacement.

Clutch problem of the 2006 Volkswagen Jetta
14

Failure Date: 11/16/2007

I purchased a brand new 2006 Jetta tdi (standard shift); at the time of this incident the vehicle had approx. 17,000 miles on it. I was driving on the highway and upon downshifting the clutch failed and the vehicle was stuck in gear; I was unable to take the car out of gear or change speed. This incident led me to have to drive the vehicle off to the side of the highway while being unable to safely control the vehicle. Upon further investigation it appears that this has been a common problem with sachs clutches from Volkswagen. Clearly, without a recall, this is puts many drivers in an extremely unsafe situation. The dealer repaired this problem for no cost; however, they were unaware that this problem is common and that vw has recently released a service bulletin regarding the failing clutches. A recall is the answer; however, vw so far has not had to issue one.

Clutch problem of the 2006 Volkswagen Jetta
15

Failure Date: 09/06/2007

Just had the dual mass flywheel and clutch replaced @ 40,000 miles which is crazy. Clutch was slipping and after hearing about the transmissions destroyed when the dmf comes apart, I spent $1,400. 00 cdn to replace it. Ive driven clutches all my life (33 years) and never had to replace a clutch before 200,000 miles.

Clutch problem of the 2004 Volkswagen Jetta
16

Failure Date: 08/27/2007

I own a 2004 Volkswagen Jetta 1. 8t, and have just gone through clutch issues at 50k miles. 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th gears work fine, but I cannot engage 1st or reverse with the engine on. I have driven manual cars my whole life, and have put close to 100k miles on a few cars with the original clutch, with no repairs necessary. I spoke with 2 different vw dealers, and both said to me on the phone "this seems odd, I bet a new clutch isn't needed, a minor adjustment should do the trick". After bringing my car in, both dealers told me that I need a brand new clutch---estimated at $1500 or below. After researching this problem online, I have realized that there are literally hundreds of posts (representing most likely thousands and thousands of actual incidences) with this same exact problem of vw clutches failing well below the normal mileage. I know that the dealer is trained to say we need a brand new clutch, and that we don't know how to use manual transmissions----they are in business to make money. I just can't accept the fact that vw sells brand new cars with equipment that will necessarily fail well below their expected life. Given the fact that their clutches are failing at such low mileages (I have seen reports of this happening from 1k-60k), vw should make an effort to repair their sub-par parts, with little cost to the borrower. Instead, their cost for a clutch repair rivals that of a Ferrari. It's unacceptable, and I hope that something will be done to hold Volkswagen responsible for their defective products.

Clutch problem of the 2006 Volkswagen Jetta
17

Failure Date: 08/27/2007

2006 Jetta tdi made in mexico in 01/06. Purchased 04/06. Car was always difficult to drive from a standing start. Clutch seemed to lock up prematurely. Many times this causes the engine to stall. At ~25,000 miles the clutch started slipping on the highway. There is overwhelming evidence among other vw Jetta tdi owners that this is a sign of premature dual mass flywheel failure. There are two scenarios that make this failure a serious safety risk to the driver and any passengers:
1. Slippage of the clutch at high speeds causes loss of speed control while merging or passing. 2. Locking of the clutch from a standing start can cause the engine to stall possibly leaving the car in the way of other traffic. I am in contact with the dealer to get this failed dmf replaced before there are any serious injuries or property damage.

Clutch problem of the 2006 Volkswagen Jetta
18

Failure Date: 08/27/2007

There is a list of problems I've had with this car. First the odometer reads 5-7 miles higher than my actual speed, and the radio reception and volume oscillates randomly. The entire car starts to shake the longer at a stop; say in traffic or even at a long red light. It's even worse on an a hill, both incline and decline. The friction point changes randomly which makes it quite easy to stall out the car from a starting position. When one turns the wheel to go around a turn the front of the car produces a deep groaning sound. The paint is also chipping off randomly; and I hand wax and wash this vehicle myself; so it makes no sense since it's only a year old. The top coat is actually pealing off on parts of the car. I took it into the dealer and they updated the software on the radio; and I'm currently waiting for the flywheel to be replaced, the part hasn't come in yet.

Clutch problem of the 2004 Volkswagen Jetta
19

Failure Date: 08/25/2007

The contact owns a 2004 Volkswagen Jetta. While driving 20 mph, the clutch pedal extended to the floor and would not lift back up. There were no warning indicators. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and they stated that the failure was caused by excessive wear to the clutch. The VIN was unknown. The current and failure mileages were 22,000.

Clutch problem of the 2006 Volkswagen Jetta
20

Failure Date: 08/23/2007

Experienced clutch failure in my 2006 vw Jetta tdi at 23k miles (at least 10k highway miles). Car had a lifetime history of less than smooth take-off (from stand still to 1st gear). First sign of major problem was total clutch failure (pedal stuck to floor, unable to shift) after about 30 min. In stop-and-go traffic on interstate in road construction zone. This is a safety issue: this failure causes driver to lose the ability to accelerate and has potential to cause high speed crash in heavy traffic merging conditions. This is also a known issue: online reading quickly reveals that the dual mass flywheel & clutch assembly has been problematic for some time, and this particular issue is found in the 2005. 5 & 2006 Jetta tdi. Three examples of evidence for this are: #1. To date, 46 members of the online forum tdiclub. Com have experienced this low mileage clutch and/or flywheel failure. #2. Vw has had recalls in both finland and australia for same/similar issues. #3. The product description of single mass flywheel & clutch advertised at dieselgeek. Com states: â€œgets rid of the failure prone stock sachs dual mass flywheel. Â€� I repeat, this is a known problem, it seems that vw knows that original parts are defective or not up to the job as they have upgraded the replacement parts. But vw refuses to pay for repairs, citing â€œowner errorâ€� and/or â€œwear-and-tear. Â€� my repair cost $1700 and vw should reimburse me. The repaired clutch is smoother than it has ever been, indication that it was defective from day one. Far more important: vw should issue a recall before someone is hurt or killed. I am furious at vw! this was a known problem when I drove my new car off the lot in June 06. At the very least, I should have been advised of the issue and to be mindful of clutch operation. How can vw be so careless? who at vw made the decision to ignore this potentially fatal problem? iâ€™ll continue to spread the word until vw takes responsibility and issues a recall.

Clutch problem of the 2005 Volkswagen Jetta
21

Failure Date: 08/22/2007

Clutch completely failed at 35,000 miles, suddenly on a highway (the car wouldn't move, it would just rev really high). I had the car towed to my local vw dealer. The vw dealer stated that there were no faulty vw parts; failure was due to a worn clutch, which I am responsible for. I filed a complaint with vw of America. I was suspicious of this diagnosis, since the clutch failed so suddenly & in all of my years of driving manual transmission cars (16 years), I have never needed to replace a worn or damaged clutch. The dealer replaced the clutch assembly, which cost me $2,070. The dealer stated that this repair is not covered under warranty, & that he would show me the worn clutch when the repair was finished. When I picked up the repaired car, I asked to see the clutch & flywheel (for signs of wear & heat marks). The service manager stated that the parts were not available for inspection; they were already disposed of & in the garbage dumpster. After reading so many complaints made by experienced manual transmission drivers about vw clutches wearing prematurely, I believe that this case may be due to a defective clutch assembly, which should be covered under warranty. I've read on vw technical service bulletins that faulty pressure plates and/or flywheels in these newer Jettas have been known to cause damage & excessive premature wear to the clutch. In my case, I wasn't able to inspect the old clutch assembly for other signs of mechanical failure (since the dealer disposed of the old parts before I had a chance to see them). Since there are so many similar complaints about vw clutches, I hope they issue a recall & reimburse the many customers that have needed to replace their clutches so soon. I am not happy about having to spend $2,070 to repair a faulty clutch in a car that is only 2 yrs old. For my next car purchase, I am considering buying from a different car company.

Clutch problem of the 2006 Volkswagen Jetta
22

Failure Date: 08/22/2007

Had the dual mass flywheel come apart. Dealer replaced flywheel, clutch plate, bolts, a bearing, and a support under warranty. This seems to be a systemic problem.

Clutch problem of the 2006 Volkswagen Jetta
23

Failure Date: 08/16/2007

Clutch and flywheel failed at 23,740 miles. Sudden failure, without warning. Caused the car to come to a complete stop, pulled the clutch pedal to the floor.

Clutch problem of the 2005 Volkswagen Jetta
24

Failure Date: 08/10/2007

The contact leases a 2005 Volkswagen Jetta. While driving 2 mph, the contact attempted to shift the vehicle into second gear. She accelerated to 20 mph, but the vehicle failed to shift into gear. She drove the vehicle to her residence. The dealer stated that the failure was due to negligent driving. The current and failure mileages were 15,500. While turning onto the highway, the consumer experienced a failure of the clutch while shifting into first gear, the clutch pedal became stuck to the floor. The dealer determined the pressure plate was had cracked into 3 pieces which destroyed the entire clutch. Updated 09/05/07.

Clutch problem of the 2005 Volkswagen Jetta
25

Failure Date: 08/09/2007

My 2005 Jetta has a broken pressure plate in the clutch. The incindent must have happened while it sitting after being driven, because I parked it and it was acting fine, then I got back in later and it wasn't working. The car has only 15k miles on it and is less than 2 years old. I don't drive the car hard and only drive about 10 miles a day, and I have been driving manual for 12 years. Vw is refusing to honor the warranty and is telling me the clutch problem is my fault. I have never heard of a clutch going in 15k miles, even if I was a terrible manual driver which I am not. I have researched this problem on the web, and it looks quite common for these cheaply made vw clutches to break down and for vw to find a way to not honor the warranty. I need help standing up against them.